We went to Sandy Hook on the weekend. It's a very sweet beach, unspoilt, no rides or 600 vendors around. Busy but not so crowded you can't find space for your blankets or bump into people in the water (which I have done at Coney Island. I have Coney Island, it's way too crowded for me.) We caught a ferry there from Manhattan which was actually part of the pleasure of it, (unlike catching a crowded subway or waiting at 34th St for a train) It was swift (about 40 minutes) but very expensive ($32 per adult, not much less for a kid) So I have manged to find some water, but it takes $100 to get there... still, I'm glad we went, there's something about being in the ocean, bobbing in the waves, that soothes and refreshes me. I do miss the sea.
